A work order template gives every job a clear written record: what needs to be done, where, by whom, with which materials, and at what cost. Below you can download three free work order templates in Excel: a general work order with materials, labor, and automatic totals, a maintenance work order with priority levels and time tracking, and a work order tracker for logging and following up every job in one place.
Each template is an editable .xlsx file. The work order forms calculate costs and hours automatically, and the tracker counts open and overdue jobs, the average days to close, and your completion rate, so nothing falls through the cracks.
What Is a Work Order?
A work order is a document that authorizes and describes a specific job. It can be created by a customer request, an internal maintenance request, a planned preventive maintenance schedule, or a manager assigning work to a team. The work order tells the technician or crew exactly what to do and records what was actually done once the job is complete.
Work orders are used by contractors, repair shops, property managers, facility maintenance teams, manufacturers, IT departments, landscaping companies, cleaning services, and many other service businesses. For customer jobs, the work order often becomes the basis for the invoice. For internal maintenance, it builds a history of repairs for each building or piece of equipment.
A work order is different from a maintenance request. A request is the initial report of a problem, often from a tenant or employee. The work order is the approved job that is scheduled and assigned in response.
Why Use a Work Order Template?
- It defines the job clearly. Everyone knows the scope of work before it starts, which reduces misunderstandings and disputes.
- It tracks costs. Materials and labor are listed line by line, and totals are calculated automatically.
- It records time. The maintenance work order calculates hours from start and finish times.
- It provides authorization. Customer and technician signatures confirm approval and completion.
- It creates a history. Completed work orders show what was done to each asset and when.
- It keeps jobs on schedule. The tracker highlights overdue work and shows how long each job has been open.
What to Include on a Work Order
- Work order number: a unique reference for every job.
- Dates: date issued, scheduled date, due date, and completion date.
- Customer or requester details: name, contact person, phone, and email.
- Job site or asset: the address, building, room, or equipment involved, with an asset ID if you have one.
- Description of work: a clear statement of the problem and the work required.
- Priority and type: for example urgent, high, medium, or low, and corrective, preventive, or inspection.
- Assigned technician or crew: who is responsible for the job.
- Materials and parts: item codes, descriptions, quantities, and costs.
- Labor: hours, rates, and descriptions of the work performed.
- Totals, notes, and signatures: cost summary, follow-up notes, and authorization and completion sign-off.
How to Create and Manage Work Orders
- Record the request. Capture who reported the issue, where it is, and what they observed.
- Create the work order. Assign the next work order number, set the priority and type, and write a clear description of the work.
- Assign and schedule. Choose the technician or crew and set a scheduled or due date.
- Get approval. For customer jobs, have the customer sign the authorization section before work begins.
- Do the work and record it. Technicians list parts used, time spent, and what they did.
- Close the work order. Add the completion date, sign off, and notify the requester.
- Log it in the tracker. Update the status in the work order tracker so open, overdue, and completed jobs are always visible.
- Invoice or file. Convert customer work orders into invoices and file internal ones in the asset history.
Download the Free Work Order Templates
All three work order templates are hosted on this website and are free to download and edit in Microsoft Excel. Each preview image matches the download button directly below it. They also open in Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc.
1. Work Order Template
A general-purpose work order for contractors and service businesses, with customer and job site details, a description of work, a materials table, a labor table, and a cost summary that adds tax on materials. A status dropdown, total labor hours, and customer and technician authorization lines are included.
2. Maintenance Work Order Template
A facility maintenance work order with request and asset details, priority and type dropdowns, problem description, work performed, and parts used. Time start and finish entries are converted into hours, labor and parts costs are totaled, and a completion sign-off section records the technician, supervisor, and date.
3. Work Order Tracker
A work order log for tracking every job from request to completion. It records the opened date, requester, location, description, priority, assignee, status, due date, and closed date, then calculates days open and flags overdue jobs. A summary counts jobs by status and shows the average days to close and the completion rate.
Tips for Writing Clear Work Orders
- Be specific. “Replace 24 sq ft of damaged ceiling tiles in Building C lobby” is far more useful than “fix ceiling”.
- Include the location and access details. Note the room, unit, or asset ID and how to get in.
- Set realistic priorities. If every job is urgent, nothing is. Reserve urgent for safety issues and work that stops operations.
- Record parts and time as you go. Waiting until the end of the day leads to forgotten materials and inaccurate hours.
- Note the root cause. Recording why something failed helps prevent repeat problems.
- Get signatures. A customer’s approval before work and sign-off after work protects your business.
- Review the tracker weekly. Look at overdue and on-hold jobs and decide what is needed to move them forward.
Types of Work Orders
Corrective work orders fix something that has broken or is not working properly, such as a leaking faucet or a failed air conditioning unit.
Preventive maintenance work orders are scheduled in advance to keep equipment in good condition, such as quarterly HVAC servicing or annual fire extinguisher checks.
Inspection work orders check the condition of an asset or area and may lead to further corrective work.
Emergency work orders deal with urgent problems that threaten safety or operations and need immediate attention.
Customer service work orders are created for paying customers, such as a repair, installation, or renovation job, and usually lead to an invoice.
Measuring Maintenance Performance
The work order tracker gives you simple but useful performance measures. Days open shows how long each job has been waiting. Average days to close shows how quickly your team completes work. The completion rate shows the share of logged jobs that are finished, and the overdue count shows how many jobs have passed their due date without being completed.
Reviewing these numbers each month helps you spot recurring problems, staffing gaps, and slow suppliers. If certain locations or assets appear again and again, it may be cheaper to replace the equipment or add it to a preventive maintenance schedule.
How to Customize the Work Order Templates
Replace the bracketed company name and contact details with your own, and add your logo with Insert > Pictures. Change the tax rate in the cost summary, or set it to zero if you do not charge tax on materials. To add more material or labor lines, insert rows inside the table and copy the Amount formula down.
In the tracker, edit the Priority and Status dropdown lists under Data > Data Validation to match your process. The report date is typed in the yellow cell so the days-open figures stay fixed for a report; enter =TODAY() in that cell if you want it to update every day.
You can also check these important templates like the maintenance request form for collecting repair requests before you create work orders, the repair invoice template for billing customers when a repair job is finished, and the contractor invoice template for invoicing completed contract work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a work order?
A work order is a document that describes and authorizes a specific job. It lists the work to be done, the location or asset, who is assigned, the materials and labor required, and the costs, and it records when the job was completed.
What is the difference between a work order and a maintenance request?
A maintenance request is the first report of a problem, usually from a tenant, employee, or customer. A work order is the approved job created from that request, with a scope of work, priority, assigned technician, and schedule.
How do I create a work order in Excel?
Download the work order template on this page, enter the next work order number, customer and job site details, and the description of work. Add materials and labor lines, and the template calculates the totals and tax automatically.
How do I track work orders?
Use the work order tracker template. Log every job with its opened date, priority, assignee, status, and due date. The sheet calculates days open, flags overdue jobs, and summarizes jobs by status, average days to close, and completion rate.
Can a work order be used as an invoice?
A work order is not usually an invoice, but it contains most of the information you need to create one. Once the job is complete and signed off, transfer the labor and materials to an invoice and send it to the customer.
